16 April 2014

Editorial: China’s National Security Commission Holds First Meeting


By Shannon Tiezzi

Xi Jinping made it clear that both domestic stability and external security are on the agenda for the new commission.

Last November, during the Third Plenum, China announced the formation of a new national security commission, to be chaired by President Xi Jinping. At the time, analysts wondered what the focus of the new commission would be—would it be externally focused, or more concerned with China’s internal stability?
Writing for The Diplomat, Wen-Ti Sung hypothesized that the new national security body would be primarily focused on domestic security. Even without the new commission, Xi Jinping already had control over foreign affairs, but much less so over China’s “stability maintenance” forces. However, the commission was also believed to be a way to streamline decision-making with regards to the military, meaning a focus on traditional national security issues as well.
The national security commission held its first meeting on Tuesday, finally giving some hints as to the purpose and function of the new organ. Chinese state media outlet Xinhua gave prominent coverage to the meeting, with headlines on both its English and Chinese webpages. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat